Daniel Day Lewis — The two-time Academy Award winning actor (Lincoln) is the Serena Williams of Hollywood: as he was riding the upward arch of his superstardom, Lewis pursued other interests outside of profession — like Williams and sister Venus did often a decade ago and were roundly criticized for it — but the result gave Lewis balance and perspective he wouldn’t have had otherwise. Mostly, it has prolonged his career where others have long sputtered out. So those who looked askance when Lewis took five years off to live on a sheep farm in the late 1980s will not question the wisdom of such a move ever again. Two Oscar trophies for Best Actor will do that.
